A pensioner who founded a volunteer group to trace missing dogs is relaunching it to ensure her legacy is continued for many years to come.

Shelagh Savage of Chingford set up Find n Seek last year after being inundated with requests for assistance from people who had misplaced their four-legged friends.

A life-long animal lover, she often spends long hours leading search parties in all weathers through parks and woodlands across five east London boroughs and Essex.

The 65-year-old said: “Word got around that there’s someone who can find missing dogs and I was inundated with requests.

“People were calling me from Glasgow and Milton Keynes. It was impossible to keep up because I’m only one person.

“I want to leave my legacy. I am a pensioner now and I want to pass my skills onto people. Over the last five years, I’ve been doing this work 90 per cent of my time.”

Find n Seek has a total of 20 members including 10 volunteers who take part in searches as well as people who look after social media and leafleting.

The team, which deals with about six cases per week, also provides emotional support for dog owners and searches for each animal “as if it were their own.”

After receiving a request for assistance, they will head to the place where the canine was last spotted and “treat it like a crime scene.”

Mrs Savage explains: “I always tell people to ask questions and try to track and plot a route.

“If the dog disappears while out in a park, the owner should stay where they dog was last seen - they may come back in a few hours.

“They can call someone and tell them to wait at their house in case the dog goes there but the best thing to do is stay put.

“When we find a dog, it’s emotional not just for the owner but for all the team. I cannot put into words what those moments are like.

“I’ve never won the lotto but I imagine it’s something like that.”

Julian Hoving, 32, of Hackney enlisted the help of Find n Seek in July 2017 when his beloved dog Roxy was missing for 12 days.

She was later found in Crouch End after a woman recognised her in a poster and called the group to say she’d seen the dog in her neighbour’s garden.

Mr Hoving remembers: “It was horrible not knowing and just nerve-wracking.

“I had to take two weeks off work and it was a nightmare.

“Shelagh and her group were just amazing. They provided a lot of support and gave me hope.”

The pensioner is encouraging anyone passionate about bringing lost dogs home to their families to get involved with her group, but says it’s not for the light-hearted.

“It’s not glamorous," she added.

“A lot of people like the idea of it but may not be able to deal with it.

“There are times when I’m out searching in woodland for hours and I’m cold and covered in mud and there’s no toilet.

“Patience is the key and you have to stay calm, the dog can sense that.

“Sometimes when I go to a place I can feel if the dog is there or not. I don’t think I have a gift but a lot of people say I do.”